DHS secretary highlights Tampa arrests, says agency is targeting the "worst of the worst"

Secretary Neal, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, onstage in Tampa on an unspecified date, outlined recent enforcement operations in Florida and said his department is prioritizing removal of "the worst of the worst." He said ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents in the region have arrested people suspected of violent and sexual offenses and displayed seized drugs and firearms.

Neal told reporters that his department has arrested "over 286,000 illegal aliens" since President Trump took office and that "70% of those individuals have had criminal charges convicted. They were convicted of them, or they have them pending against them." He also said DHS had arrested "600 known or suspected terrorists" and "over 2,700 known members of the Tren de Aragua gang." Neal added that in the past two weeks in Florida officers seized about "25 kilograms of cocaine" and several firearms.

The comments came during a Tampa press appearance where Neal described multiple local cases: he cited an ICE arrest of a 27-year-old Guatemalan with a pending felony cruelty-to-a-child charge, an HSI and Manatee County Sheriff's Office arrest of a Mexican national with an outstanding warrant for battery of a victim under 12, and an HSI Tampa arrest of a 24-year-old Qatari citizen with an Interpol red notice. Neal said a 35-year-old Venezuelan who had been arrested in New York was taken into custody by HSI Tampa after being released locally in New York.

Neal framed the enforcement activity as a response to violence against children and other serious crimes: "These depraved monsters are on America's streets today. There are more of them, and they're out in our neighborhoods, and we will find them, and we will bring them to justice," he said. He displayed the confiscated items and said they "will never be on the streets of our communities again."

On officer safety and protests, Neal said ICE agents have faced a recent increase in violent incidents, which he characterized as rising "700%" over the last six months. He described threats that include doxxing, videoing operations to encourage attacks, thrown projectiles and Molotov cocktails, and said officers have been targeted during operations. He defended ongoing enforcement actions after a federal judge issued an unspecified ruling affecting operations; Neal called the judge's decision "absolutely false" and said DHS would appeal while continuing investigations focused on criminal activity.

Neal was asked about tracking detainees and about specific details at the Tampa facility; he said he could provide case-specific information but that detainees are "going through due process" and that some will be returned to their home countries. When pressed for more detailed counts tied to the local detention site, he said specific figures could be provided later.

The secretary repeatedly framed the enforcement work as a fulfillment of the administration's priorities and tied it to broader immigration policy changes and funds he said followed passage of a recent reconciliation bill. Neal urged public support for law enforcement and defended interagency and state partnerships in the region.

Ending: Neal took several questions from reporters on related topics including facility oversight, the effects of court rulings on operations and the department's recruitment and contracting programs. He said the department would supply additional details on case-level questions on request.